Not Yours
Not Yours is the twenty-second episode of Tech 10: Star Spirit, and the tenth episode of the second season. Episode to the outside of a high school in a suburban area. Theo and Nova, both wearing backpacks, are walking towards the school along with a rush of other students. Theo has switched back to his winter uniform for the school year. Theo: (Grumbling) “Boy, I sure do love going back to this shithole.” Nova: “Dude, you’ve been chasing an evil vampire around reality for a few weeks now. I think you can handle school.” Theo: “At least with Aeron I don’t have to solve for X before beating the shit out of him.” Nova: “Look at it this way-” Theo: “I’m not really in the mood for any perspective-shifting pep talks.” Nova: “I was gonna say you can use Smooth Criminal or Silent Lucidity to cheat on tests since your Projection Transformations are like connected to your brain or whatever now.” Theo: “Oh. I kinda forgot about the whole aliens thing.” Nova: “You could totally use Fatemask to wreck some shit at dodgeball.” Theo opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a black-haired female student wearing a green sweater and blue jeans suddenly running out in front of him and crashing into him, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. Theo: (Standing back up, annoyed) “Hey, what’s the big idea?” ???: (Rubbing her head) “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I was running late, and I just-” The female student glanced up at Theo, catching her first glimpse of his somewhat irritated face. Suddenly blushing, she swiftly stood up and began sheepishly brushing herself off. ???: “I, uh...you’re Theodore, right? Theodore Logical?” Theo: “Uh, yeah. Do I know you you?” ???: (Stumbling over her words) “No...I mean, yes! I mean...well, not really. We’re in the same class together, but we never really talked. My name is Sybil White.” Theo: “Sybil, huh? Nice to officially meet you, I guess. Minus the crashing part, obviously.” Sybil: (Sheepishly) “Same to you.” The two stood staring at each other for a few moments. Sybil: (Suddenly remembers something) “Oh! I, uh, need to get to class.” Theo: “So do I. We’re apparently in the same one, right?” Sybil: (Blushes) “Yes, right! I’m just going to...uh...well...see you there!” Sybil quickly turned and ran off, leaving Theo standing there in confusion. Theo: “Huh. That was weird.” He suddenly felt a sharp jabbing in his side, turning to find Nova elbowing him with a sly expression. Nova: “Come on, dude. There’s no way you don’t know what that was all about.” Theo: “I really don’t.” Nova: “She’s totally into you! It’s super obvious!” Theo: (Rolls his eyes) “That’s ridiculous. We just met.” Nova: “Uh, no, you just met her. I’m willing to bet she’s had her eye on you for a while.” Theo: “What do you want me to do about it? I don’t have time for dating or whatever.” Nova: “Says the guy who can control space and time.” Theo: “To an extent! Final Countdown’s Time Stop only lasts like five seconds! He’s barely useful for anything other than hopping timelines!” Nova: “I think you’re missing the point here.” Theo: “Look, I have to take care of Aeron before I can worry about anything else. Even if I was interested in a relationship, I would just be putting her directly in the line of fire.” Nova: (Faking offense) “Oh, and you’re not worried about hanging around me all the time? I see where I stand.” Theo: (Smirks slightly and rolls his eyes) “You could blow off someone’s head if you wanted to, asshole. I don’t need to worry about you.” The two continued walking into the school, making friendly jabs at each other and letting out the occasional laugh. As engrossed as they were in their conversation, they didn’t notice Sybil staring at them ominously from nearby. ---- to a well-furbished area in the industrial district. All ten remaining members of the Zodiac Organization are sitting together in the main area, discussing various things. Orion and Ophiuchus are standing off to the side, going through various documents. After a few moments, the door to the warehouse suddenly explodes open. Everyone in the room turns to look at the source of the intrusion, finding an infuriated Scorpio standing in the doorway. Scorpio: (Enraged) “ORION!” The other members of the Zodiac Organization began to assume battle-ready positions, but were interrupted by Orion, who motioned for them to stand down. Orion: (To the other members) “Leave us. This is a personal matter.” The members of the Zodiac Organization reluctantly obliged, leaving the warehouse one by one. Aquarius was the last one to exit the building, throwing back a concerned glance towards Scorpio before leaving. Ophiuchus stayed at Orion’s side, unsure of what to do. Orion: (Looks at Ophiuchus) “That means you too.” Ophiuchus nodded and rushed out of the building, leaving Orion and Scorpio facing each other alone. Orion: “I take it you heard the news. Who told you? Aquarius?” Scorpio’s expression took on a slightly surprised look before swiftly switching back to anger. Orion: “I figured as much. She’s the only one who would care enough to inform you. No matter. I was planning on telling you myself anyways at some point. This confrontation is happening a bit earlier than I would’ve liked, but I’m flexible.” Scorpio’s only response to this was maintaining his furious glare. Orion: “Well, what is it? I know you have something to say to me.” Scorpio: “...Not exactly. I want answers.” Orion: “Then ask. What do you want to know?” Scorpio: “''Everything''. I want to know who the hell you are, I want to know how you created this god-forsaken organization, and I want to know why the hell you abandoned me at some random orphanage!” Orion: “Those are all sort of connected. I’ll just start with the basics. My name is Vasant Guanyu.” Scorpio: “Vasant...Guanyu? Where the hell do you come from?” Orion: “Our family is from a small village in the Himalayan mountains. For centuries, we had lived in harmony, with relatively little contact with the outside world. I grew up in this isolated village, learning the ways of the land and tending to my duties." Scorpio: (Rolls his eyes) "Sounds thrilling." Orion: "There is no fault in desiring a peaceful life, Scorpio. In any case, I eventually married a woman named Sri Gulshan and, in time, had a child with her. That child was you.” Scorpio: “Well, no shit.” Orion: “We lived quietly and happily for a bit after that. However...” Orion paused for a moment, seemingly trying to collect himself before continuing. “...our happiness was cut short.” Scorpio: “Why? What happened?” Orion: “A band of raiders that had been ravaging the area raided our village, bringing with them the first major conflict we had ever truly seen. We were a peaceful people, not prepared to fight savages like them.” Orion’s fists clenched in anger and frustration at the memory, his brow furrowing beneath his mask. Orion: “I had always been a fairly large and muscular man, even before becoming infused with alien DNA. As such, I was able to put up the best fight of all, but...I wasn’t able to save anyone else. Even your mother.” Orion sighed, taking off his mask to reveal a face filled with long-held anger and regret. Orion: “Anyone except for you, that is. I received many wounds and almost completely bled out, but somehow, I was able to drag my half-dead body to safety, protecting you as best I could. It was then, as I was desperately grasping onto my infant son while lying in a bank of snow stained red with my own blood, having done nothing wrong yet having lost everything I had, I realized the truth that would shape the rest of my life. There is no force for true justice in this world.” Orion paused for a moment before continuing. Orion: “I’m not sure how, but I managed to drag myself out of those mountain and keep you safe until we reached civilization. I almost lost my legs to frostbite, but I was fortunate enough to recover use of them. I had nothing left, and knowing I couldn’t provide for you, I gave you up to an orphanage. I began traveling the world, searching for...something. Some hope to cling on to. Along my travels, I found many others like me, people who had experienced similar injustices with no power to make things right. My determination to find a solution to this burned ever higher, and in the ruins of a temple deep in the Amazon rainforest, I found it.” Orion raised his mask into the air, clearly displaying it for Scorpio to see. Orion: “This is the Mask of Simul. The hieroglyphs in the ancient temple indicate that it is not of this world, but they were too worn for me to identify its origin point. Thankfully, they were intact enough for me to figure out its usage.” Scorpio: (Raises an eyebrow) “It’s a mask. You wear it. Is it really any more complicated than that?” Orion: “For this particular mask, yes. It infuses energy into the user, enhancing them with the very powers used to attack them. After realizing the potential this mask holds, I set off to find energy I could use to combat the world’s injustices. My first thought was electricity, as that’s readily available from power plants and the like, but I realized it wouldn’t be enough to help change anything on a global scale. I needed a different kind of energy. A fundamental force that governs the universe.” Scorpio: “Like what?” Orion: “...Tell me, have you ever heard of Kunenga Energy?” ---- to a large back alley in a relatively grungy, run-down part of town. Most of the surrounding buildings are boarded up, and weeds have more or less taken over any part of the ground that hasn’t been paves. The area is mostly abandoned, with the only life present being the occasional rat or two. After a few moments, Nova Eldridge walks into the alley, carefully observing her surroundings. Nova: “Hello? Is anyone there?” There was no response. Nova: “I got a call saying that there was some sort of emergency going on down here! Is everything okay?!” Still no response. Nova quickly became suspicious, summoning an arm cannon and carefully getting it ready to fire. Nova: “Why do I get the feeling this is a trap?” ???: “Because it is.” Before Nova could react, some invisible force suddenly slammed her to the ground. Unable to pull herself up unassisted, she summoned her leg booster constructs and used them to slowly stand back up. Cracks began to appear in the pavement underneath the metal of the constructs, indicating the invisible force becoming somewhat stronger. Nova: “What the hell?!” The force suddenly increased again, forcing her to summon constructs around her arms before they made contact with the ground. As soon as they hit the cement, it buckled under the weight, cracking apart and creating a bit of debris. A female figure suddenly appeared from around a nearby corner, walking towards Nova to reveal herself as... Nova: “Sybil White? What the hell are you doing here?!” Sybil’s expression was cold and difficult to read, completely at odds with her earlier demeanor. After a few seconds of wordlessly staring down towards Nova, her body suddenly rippled, becoming a new color scheme altogether. Her new appearance had silver hair and clothing colored in various grays. She had bright red eyes and a red stripe running through her hair. Sybil: (Coldly) “I’m taking you out of the picture.” Nova: “...You gotta be shitting me.” ---- back to Orion and Scorpio talking. Scorpio: “Kunenga...energy? Sounds fake.” Orion: “It’s all too real. It is the underlying force that grants lifeforms with physics-defying abilities their powers. Its existence is unknown to the general public thus far, though devices able to block it have been out on the market for a while, even if the exact principles behind said devices aren’t commonly understood.” Scorpio: “If it’s such a secret, then how did you find out about it?” Orion: “...Well, first I went to the south pole-” Scorpio: “You what now?” Orion: “Like I said, I was wandering the Earth at the time. At any rate, when I arrived at the pole, I happened across a Plumber-funded research station set up around the area. I became curious about its purpose and managed to sneak my way inside-” Scorpio: “You’re as big as a house!” Orion: “I’m good at what I do. At any rate, I found out they were researching a substance known as Kungenga energy, as an incident involving it had apparently occurred around fifteen or so years prior. I copied down the most important points and left the station. Reading through my notes, I realized I had the chance to change everything. All I needed was time and resources. The first came naturally; the latter I was able to create in the form of the Zodiac Organization.” Scorpio: “How? You were just some buff hobo at that point. That’s not generally known for paying well.” Orion: “I found some rather valuable artifacts on my journey aside from the mask. I sold all of them off, save for the mask, of course, and began to put my plan into action. I traveled the world, tracking down those dissatisfied with the current order of things and recruiting them to my cause. Once everything was properly set up, I decided to recruit you. The money you would have received would be more than enough to live a good life after the fact.” Scorpio: “And you didn’t just adopt me back or something because...?” Orion: “I didn’t think you were mature enough to handle this kind of news that soon. To be frank, I still don’t think you are, but you’ve forced my hand on this.” Scorpio sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. Scorpio: “Alright, whatever. One last question.” Orion: “Go ahead.” Scorpio: “This whole deal with the Plumbers. What’s up with that? It seems like you have some sort of grudge against them.” Orion: (Raises an eyebrow) “The Plumbers?” Orion began softly chuckling, which quickly evolved into full-blown laughter. Scorpio looked on in confusion, growing increasingly nervous thanks to Orion’s strange behavior. Scorpio: “What the hell are you laughing about?!” Orion: (Slowly stops laughing) “Well, I suppose since we’re alone, I might as well tell you. We're near the endgame, so it hardly matters at this point.” Scorpio: “Stop dancing around the issue and answer the damn question!” Orion: “Don’t be so rash. You’re going to get yourself into trouble with that tongue of yours.” Scorpio: “Is that a threat?” Orion: “Just advice. Believe me, Scorpio, if I held any ill will towards you, you’d be dead within seconds. As it is, I feel more guilty for your current state of affairs than anything. But, back on topic, you were asking about the Plumbers, right?” Scorpio: “Yeah. I was just in here for the money. I never really understood your problems with them. The bullshit you spewed could be said of any law enforcement agency!” Orion: “Yes, it could. You want the truth?” Scorpio: “What the hell do you think?!” Orion: “I don’t have any particular hatred for the Plumbers.” Scorpio’s eyes widened in shock as he dropped his guard for a moment, taken aback by Orion’s statement. Scorpio: “Wait...what the hell did you just say?!” Orion: (Repeating himself) “I don’t have any particular hatred for the Plumbers. I stand by everything I've said about them, but I believe it would be a fool's errand to blame them exclusively for issues that arise in every sort of law enforcement organization..” Scorpio: “Then why? Why lie to everyone about this?” Orion: “Because, Scorpio, I needed followers. Followers who would work for me from more than just a monetary standpoint. I needed to rally people behind a cause, even if it was one I fabricated by my lonesome.” Scorpio: “You...you manipulated everyone! Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus, all of them...you’ve been manipulating them from the very start!” Orion: “And what of it? They’ll be getting what they were promised either way. I just needed their loyalty to be assured, and appealing to their innate xenophobia was the best way to do that. Even the greediest man has limits to how far he will go for money, but a man with true faith in his cause is capable of just about anything in the name of his beliefs.” Scorpio: (Annoyed) “You really piss me off. What gives you the right to jerk people around like this?! You don’t seem like a bad person overall, but this shit is insane!” Orion: “I have made peace with myself, Scorpio. I have done many questionable things, but I hold no regrets. My soul is focused on the pursuit of true justice, no matter what that takes.” Scorpio: “How do you think toying with people like this is part of “true justice” or whatever bullshit you’re spewing?” Orion: (Turns away) “It isn’t. However, once my goal is complete, I shall be able to enforce justice upon the world, and I shall pay back the injustices I have committed against it a hundred fold. For now, however, I must do whatever it takes to secure that goal, even if it means going against my own principles.” Scorpio: “So, that’s it, then? You’re just gonna justify all the shitty things you’ve done by saying you’ll make up for it later?! I might be an angry selfish asshole, but at least I’m not self-righteous about it!” Orion: “Think what you want of me. You were a mere infant when our home was destroyed, when your mother was taken from this world far too early. You could never understand that. How it felt to lose everything to the injustices of the world. You could never understand my drive.” Scorpio: “You’re right. I couldn’t. But that’s only because you left me without anything to lose in the first place.” Scorpio turned and began walking away. Scorpio: “I’m not going to stop you. I’m not dumb enough to think I can. Granted, normally, I’d be so mad that I wouldn’t care about our power differences and would probably attack you anyways just because I’m kinda pissed. But having spoken with you one-on-one, no bullshit, no lies...” Scorpio paused for a moment to look back. Scorpio: “I think you just need help.” With that, Scorpio walked out the warehouse door without another word, leaving Orion standing in silence. After a few moments, Orion sighed and placed his mask back on his face, obscuring any emotion he may have been showing. Orion: “I suppose I was expecting as much.” ---- back to Nova and Sybil in the alley. The force pushing down on Nova’s body is slowly increasing, breaking the concrete even further. A water pipe running through the area breaks, sending a spray of water shooting off to the side. Nova: “So, you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?!” Sybil: “I’ve increased the gravity around your body. Any normal human would be unconscious at this point, but clearly...” (Glances at Swarm 2’s constructs) “I’m not the only one here with odd powers.” Nova: “Since when can you control gravity?!” Sybil: “Some short, orange alien wearing a lab coat gave me these abilities a few months back. As I recall, he said he did it because “this is gonna be hilarious”, whatever that was supposed to mean.” Nova: (Grumbling under her breath) “God dammit, Nullamor.” Sybil: “What was that?” Nova: “Nothing. Why are you attacking me all of a sudden?!” Sybil: “You’re far too close to Theodore for comfort. I’m already at a disadvantage; the last thing I need is competition.” Nova: (Confused) “Competition? What are you...Oh god dammit. You seriously think...I just...dear sweet lord, this is stupid.” Sybil: “What?” Nova: “You know we’re not a thing, right? We don’t have any romantic interest in each other. We’re just friends. That’s it.” Sybil: “Actions speak louder than words, and I’ve seen you two together. You two practically act like an old married couple!” Nova opened her mouth to argue this point, but was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind blowing down the alley. This was shortly followed by the arrival of Theo as All☆Star, whose impressive flight speed had created a burst of air pressure upon entering the area. All☆Star: “Alright, you weren’t very specific on the phone, so I got here a bit late and I have absolutely no idea what’s going o-” All☆Star suddenly stopped talking upon spotting Sybil and actually observing the current situation. All☆Star: “Okay, now I really have no idea what’s going on.” Nova: “Theo! Sybil’s bat shit insane or something and set this whole thing up.” Sybil’s calm attitude suddenly broke, being replaced momentarily with a nervous demeanor. Sybil: “Th-Theodore?! Is that really you?! What are you doing here?!” Nova: “I called him in as soon as I got wind about an emergency. You think you and I have some weird powers? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” All☆Star: (Turns to Sybil and begins hovering towards her) “Alright, whatever’s going on here, you need to cut it out.” Nova: “Theo, wait! She has-” All☆Star suddenly fell to the ground, collapsing to his knees. All☆Star: “What the hell?!” Nova: (Rolls her eyes) “I was trying to tell you! She has gravity powers now!” All☆Star: “Seriously?! Where did she even get those?!” Nova: “Nullamor. Where else?” All☆Star: (Huffs) “Of course.” All☆Star reached for the StarTrix symbol and transformed into Holy Diver, who managed to pull himself up off the ground and begin advancing towards Sybil, much to her surprise. Sybil: “What the-how are you moving so easily?!” {Narrator}: “Holy Diver is a Sanquor, an amphibious species that evolved to live deep underwater, regularly enduring pressures that would crush most other lifeforms! The pressure of increased gravity presents little challenge for this hardy alien!” Sybil glanced up at the sky in confusion. Sybil: “Did anyone else hear that just now?” Diver: “Hear what?” Nova: “Yeah, you’re really not helping the whole “crazy” thing you’ve got going on right now.” Sybil: “But...dammit, never mind!” Sybil increased the gravity around Holy Diver, causing the pavement beneath him to crack and crumble beneath his weight. This did little to slow down Holy Diver himself, who simply kept walking towards Sybil. Diver: “You’re not going to get anywhere with that. Your powers aren’t strong enough to shut down something like Holy Diver.” Sybil: “Then maybe “down” is the wrong direction.” Holy Diver began to ask what she meant by this, but was interrupted by Sybil suddenly inverting the field of gravity around him, sending him flying up into the air. Diver: “God dammit.” Sybil watched Holy Diver float helplessly into the air, unable to force himself towards the ground. Satisfied with this distraction, she turned back towards Nova with a menacing glare. Sybil: “Now that we’re alone again, back to business.” Nova: (Frustrated) “For the last time, we’re not dating, dumbass! You’re one of those idiots who pairs together every TV character she ever sees, aren’t you?” Sybil: “I’m not about to take any chances.” Nova: “I could literally just shoot you right now if I wanted to. Stop being stupid and go home.” Sybil increased the gravity field around Nova, laying her flat to the broken cement and pinning her arms to the ground. Sybil: “Try shooting me now!” Nova: “A: Don’t tempt me. B: I’m not the one you need to worry about right now.” Sybil heard a crackling noise come from somewhere behind her head and turned around, managing to spot and barely dodge out of the way of a blue lightning bolt. The electric blast hit the ground near Nova, morphing into a one-eyed, electric-blue humanoid alien with a swimming outfit on and a large dorsal fin jutting out of its back. The alien sat up into a kneeling position, striking a dramatic pose with its upper body. Diver/???: “Meet Overdrive!” Nova: “Took ya long enough! Haven’t seen that one before, but it still looks familiar for some reason.” Overdrive: “This guy is the same species as my dad’s Electrolite. He’s just a different variation of the species.” Nova: “Cool. Now, would you mind kicking her ass so we can get this over with?” Overdrive: “Alright, just give me a sec.” Overdrive attempted to pull himself to his feet, but found himself unable to stand up. He continued trying for a few moments, eventually just giving up. Nova: “What, is she doing some wacky gravity stuff to you again?” Overdrive: (Sheepishly) “Well, no, it’s just...I don’t think this alien can walk.” There was an awkward pause. Nova: “Seriously?” Sybil: “I don’t think I even need to use my powers on this one.” Overdrive: “Is that so? Well, I’m just going to give you a heads up that I don’t need my legs to kick your ass!” Nova: “...You kinda d-” Overdrive suddenly transformed into a lightning bolt and shot towards Sybil, emerging back into his full body as soon as he passed her head. Before she could react, he grabbed her face and used the force of his momentum to throw her to the ground, skidding to a halt on the ground a few feet behind her. Nova: “Huh. Whaddaya know?” Sybil climbed to her feet, shooting Overdrive an angry look. Sybil: “Why won’t you just leave?!” Overdrive: “For one thing, you’re assaulting my best friend. For another, I don’t just leave fights. I finish them one way or another.” Sybil: “But I don’t want to fight you!” Overdrive: “Then stop fighting my friend, dumbass! Do you not get how this works?!” Sybil: “What else am I supposed to do?! I don’t have any chance with you with someone like her as competition!” Overdrive: “...What.” Nova: “Yeah. That’s what this is all about.” Overdrive: “...You know we’re just friends, right? We don’t have any romantic interest in each other. Like...at all.” Nova: “That’s what I said!” Sybil: “I’m not blind, you know! I see you two together all the time! You two are perfect with each other! It’s like you’re soul mates!” Overdrive: “I’ll take “best friend” for 500, Alex.” Nova: “Seriously, have you never had a friend in your life?” Sybil: “Well, no, but that’s beside the point! I just need you out of the way!” Overdrive: (Sighs) “Good grief. You know, if you won’t listen to reason...” Overdrive pointed at Sybil accusingly. Overdrive: “Then I need to take you down.” Sybil: “What? Are you going to fight me?” Overdrive: “I think I made that pretty clear.” Sybil: (Clenches her fists) “...Fine. If that’s how it has to be...” Sybil suddenly threw her hands into the air, reversing Overdrive’s gravity and sending him flying. Sybil: “I’m going to do anything I have to to win your love, even if it means beating you into the ground!” Nova: “That seems counterproductive.” Overdrive narrowed his eyes and transformed into a lightning bolt again, this time shooting towards Sybil’s gut and landing a direct hit, sending a wave of electricity through her body and knocking her to the ground. The lightning bolt continued until it hit the ground, where it transformed back into Overdrive’s full form. Overdrive: “Having second thoughts yet?” Sybil got to her feet, turning to shoot Overdrive a flat expression. Sybil: “To be honest, I barely felt that.” Overdrive: “Oh, enhanced durability too. That’s just fantastic.” Overdrive suddenly transformed into a lightning bolt again and shot into the nearby water pipe that had been exposed by damage to the concrete, leaving the area. Sybil and Nova stared at the pipe in confusion. Sybil: “Did he just...leave?” Nova: “I doubt it. No idea what the hell he’s up to, though.” Sybil: “Well, while I have the chance...” Sybil picked up a nearby piece of sharp debris, then began making her way over to Nova, who was still stuck to the ground by the increased gravity. Sybil: “I’ll try to make this quick.” Nova: “You are one crazy asshole, you know that?” Sybil casually tossed the debris up in the air, maneuvering it to float a few feet above Nova’s head. Sybil: “As soon as I increase the gravity on this, it’s going to shoot through your head like a large bullet. You shouldn’t feel anything.” Nova: (Sarcastically) “Gee, thanks.” Sybil flicked her hand downwards, causing the debris’s gravity to increase. The instant it began to move down, however, a bolt of electricity suddenly out shot from behind her, blowing apart the debris. She swiftly turned around, only to be met by a sudden electrified punch to the face. She stumbled backwards a few feet, looking up to find Overdrive surrounded in a field of water streaming from the aforementioned water pipe. Sybil: “What the...can that thing control water too?!” Overdrive: (Tsks) “Not exactly. You know how static electricity attracts water? This is basically that, but on a bigger scale.” Nova: “That seems hard to pull off.” Overdrive: “Yeah, it’s kind of a pain in the ass, but the extra maneuverability it gives me more than makes up for it.” Sybil: (Eye twitching) “Static electricity isn’t that strong, you know! All I have to do is increase the gravity of that water, and you’ll be stuck like a fish on la-” Sybil was interrupted by another punch to the face she was barely even able to see coming. Sybil: “Agh! When did you get that fast?!” Overdrive: “Overdrive may not be the most graceful alien on land, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a better form in the water! Now...” Overdrive cracked his knuckles, staring at Sybil menacingly. Overdrive: “Are you going to quit, or is this going to get ugly?” Sybil glared wordlessly towards Overdrive for a few moments. All of a sudden, she snapped her right arm forward, but before she could bring it down to increase Overdrive’s gravity, he grabbed it out of the air, stopping her from lowering it. Overdrive: “Bad idea.” Sybil: (Nervously) “Now, hold on a second, we can talk about this, right?” Overdrive: (Narrows his eyes) “That’s what I’ve been trying to do for the past five minutes. Somehow I don’t think you’ve managed to have a change of heart in just a couple of seconds.” Sybil: (Angrily) “Then I’ll just have to bury you into the-” Overdrive: “How about no.” Overdrive unleashed a barrage of punches moving like lightning-fast jackhammers through the stream of water surrounding him. Each blow slammed into Sybil’s body with enough force to send her flying, but the constant flow of attacks didn’t so much as give the laws of motion a chance to kick in, keeping her stuck in the flurry of strikes. After a few moments of this, Overdrive smashed Sybil in the chin with one last massive punch, sending her flying into a nearby brick wall that crumbled from the impact. Overdrive: “I think that more or less takes care of that.” ---- to a black screen. The view slowly blinks into existence, showing Sybil lying in the rubble of the brick wall, being healed by Season. After a few moments, she gradually wakes up, spotting Season standing above her. Nova is standing off to the side, keeping a careful eye on her. Sybil: (Groggily) “What...what’s going on?” Season: “I’m healing you up.” Sybil: “...Why?” Season: (Raises an eyebrow) “Uh...I knocked you through a brick wall.” Sybil: “No, I mean...why would you do that for me? I just tried to kill both of you.” Season: “I’ve healed a sociopath that ran me through with a flame sword and an evil zombie robo-crab from space that tried to destroy humanity with a giant robot. Twice. All things considered, you’re not really at their level.” Sybil: “I...” (Rubs her head in confusion) “I feel completely different. Like I’m...at peace, somehow.” Season: “That’s what Season does. I can’t fix whatever reasoning led you to attacking us, but I can at least make the urge itself subside.” Sybil: “So...you...I...” (Cradles her head in her hands, clearly distressed) “Oh my god...what the hell was I thinking?” Season: “Hell if I know. Looks like you aren’t thinking it any more, though.” Sybil: “...Yeah.” Season sighed and pressed the StarTrix dial, transforming back into Theo. Theo: “Look, I’m just gonna give it to you straight. I’m not interested in a relationship at the moment. Even if I was, the whole “violent assault” thing has really not helped your chances.” Sybil: “...I understand. You...probably won’t believe this, but...I’m sorry.” Theo: “I believe that. Season’s pretty good at weeding out the negative crap. Doesn’t mean I trust you overall, though.” Sybil: “...Oh.” Theo: “You should probably head home. Your parents might be worried about you.” Sybil: “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Sybil slowly got to her feet and began to walk off, throwing one last regretful glance behind her shoulder before exiting the alleyway. After a few moments, Theo sighed and pulled down on his hat. Theo: “Good grief. You think you can get a single day without some random bullshit happening...” Nova: “Hey, at least it was relatively easy to handle random bullshit. Can you imagine if we had to fight someone from the Zodiac Organization or something?” Theo: “At least it would’ve been less awkward. Next thing after school tomorrow, I’m going right back to chasing Aeron.” Nova: “So soon?” Theo: (Nods) “Even though I can track him down whenever I want, leaving him out there without doing anything about it just leaves a bad feeling in my stomach.” Nova: “I guess that makes sense. Hey, speaking of bad feelings in your stomach, you want to stop by a pizza place or something?” Theo: (Chuckles) “Sure. I don’t have my wallet on hand though, so you’re paying.” Nova: (Faking offense) “Wow, rude. Sometimes I think you only love me for my money.” Theo: “I pay most of the time anyways, you dork.” Nova: “Oh, bite me.” The two walked off together, being so wrapped up in their conversation that they evidently forget about the completely wrecked area behind them. ---- to sometime the next day, inside of a well-fortified base in an unknown location. The camera pans along Orion walking down a long, metal hallway, eventually entering a large room primarily filled with a massive, tube-like machine hooked up to large generators fixed to the ground and long control panels lining the walls. Orion: “Capricon, Leo, and the Gemini have lured the Tennysons off Earth, and Ophiuchus has confirmed that this “Tech” has left the timeline for whatever reason. It’s time.” Orion turned away from the massive machine to face Libra and Sagittarius, who had been following behind him. Orion: “This machine took ten years of work to create. If it fails before I complete the plan, everything we’ve worked for collapses. Guard it with your lives.” Sagittarius: “Trust me, if anyone manages to break in, it isn’t our lives you’ll need to worry about.” Orion: “Try not to make too much of a mess, either. Swift and simple execution works wonders compared to drawing it out.” Libra: “But drawing it out is so much more viscerally satisfying.” Orion: (Angrily) “You two are not here to indulge in your twisted desires! You are here to work! If your pathetic games result in any damage to this machine, you will be held personally responsible, and you both know I’m the one person you could not defeat.” Libra: (Grumbling) “Yes, sir.” Orion: “I’m serious. I’ll be having other teams here to monitor you and act as decoys in the event the base is the invaded. Do not leave your post.” Sagittarius: “We won’t. Well, I won’t, at any rate.” Libra: “You can count on us, boss man. Begrudgingly, but you can.” Orion: (Narrows his eyes) “Alright. In that case, I’ll be taking my leave.” Orion exited the room and began walking down the hallway he had come in from. Orion: "It all comes down to this.” Major Events *Sybil White makes her debut. *Orion reveals his backstory. *Orion's true goal is revealed to involve Kunenga Energy. *Orion reveals that he's been manipulating the members of the Zodiac Organization, and has no real issues with the Plumbers. *Overdrive makes his debut. *The final stage of Orion's plan goes into action. Characters Protagonists Antagonists Neutral Aliens Used Category:Earth-83